Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University and green-card holder, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the weekend in what is likely one of the first high-profile detentions of a student who participated in the protests against the Israel-Hamas war. The arrest follows through on one of President Trump's executive actions, which directed the government to use all of its tools to punish those who have engaged in "antisemitic harassment and violence." The executive action cites the federal law that authorizes deporting a foreign national who "endorses or espouses terrorist activity."

"ICE's arrest and detention of Mahmoud follows the U.S. government's open repression of student activism and political speech, specifically targeting students at Columbia University for criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza," Amy Greer, attorney for Khalil, told Eyewitness News. Restrictions at additional college campuses are expected after Barnard College announced it would also be increasing security measures on Monday "due to active concerns for violence.

The Columbia University protest ringleader busted by ICE agents and slated for deportation argued he should be released Monday, claiming the feds detained him illegally. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a Columbia -owned apartment inhabited by Mahmoud Khalil, who fronts a radical group, Columbia United Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which sympathizes with terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and calls for the “end of Western Civilization.”